Bloomington man headed to federal prison on gun charges

Posted on April 14, 2022
The Bloomington Police Department and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations worked together on the case. (Photo courtesy: WJBC/File)

By Blake Haas

BLOOMINGTON – A Bloomington man is heading to federal prison after a judge in Peoria sentenced him to 30 months behind bars.

According to court documents, Jose Luis Arizmendi-Romero, 33, of the 800 block of East Wood Street, was arrested during attempted traffic in June of last year.

Authorities say Arizmendi-Romero backed his car into a police car and then sped away, eventually crashing his car.

Prosecutors detailed how Arizmendi-Romero returned to his residence after hitting the car, and police obtained a search warrant at a sentencing hearing.

During the search, officers located a 9-mm handgun and 52 rounds of 9-mm ammo along with drug paraphernalia.

In Oct. of 2021, Arizmendi-Romero was indicted on the federal charge of possession of a firearm by an alien illegally in the U.S. and pleaded guilty to the charge in Dec. 2021.

The Bloomington Police Department and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations worked together on the case.

Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].

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